Round 5 Preview: Perth v Mariners

On Friday, the Central Coast Mariners commenced their journey to Perth where they will face off against the Glory on Sunday evening. As the team departed the Central Coast, we caught up with Head Coach Mike Mulvey.

The Mariners will need to be at their best to bring a halt to the top of the table Perth Glory who have kicked off their season in undefeated fashion. Tony Popovic’s Glory boast three wins and a draw to their name and look a force to be reckoned with this season.

It’s been a mixed start for the Yellow & Navy who commenced their new lease of life under Mike Mulvey with two draws against Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City, followed by two losses to Adelaide & Melbourne Victory.

After returning from the international break, the Mariners welcome skipper Matt Simon back into the travelling squad but will need to do it without Tommy Oar who sustained a knee injury against Victory.

Perth welcome Brendon Santalab, Diego Castro and Tomislav Mrcela back into their squad for Sunday’s fixture.

Mulvey in the media

Returning from an international break…
“The break probably came at a good time for us. It allowed us to reflect on where we’re at and how we’re going to take things forward. The boys had a bit of a break but have come back and trained very hard this week and we’re all looking forward to a trip to Perth.

“We’re clear about our last result. We lost and we lost heavily. But it was basically due to a mad 15 minutes from the 30-45-minute mark. In the second half, we played some good football and took the game to them. We were much better in the second half and we need to continue from that moving forward.

Popa’s table topping Perth Glory…
“I’ve coached against Tony before and he’s teams are always resilient, tough and organised. I don’t expect anything different. Perth Glory have always been a very good club in the A-League and going over there is never easy but we need to go there and show some mental capacity and deal with what’s thrown at us. It’s up to the players and we need to go out there and perform.

“One of the reasons we brought Matt back into the squad was due to his leadership, he understands what it means to be a leader. He leads by example, he’s a great guy around the group, we definitely missed him in Melbourne there’s no question about that.

Coming home from Perth with points…
“If you’re looking for an easy game than you shouldn’t be coaching in the A-League. Every game is difficult but why shy away from that? We’re going to Perth, they’re the league leaders and why not go and test ourselves?

“We’re on a journey, we know where that journey is going to take us to and right now it’s about what’s happening in between,” Mulvey said.

What’s been said?

Andrew Hoole
“You can’t focus on the opposition too much, even though they are at the top of the table,” Hoole said. “It’s one of those games where if you focus too much on them, it can be a downfall so we need to make sure we are focused on ourselves, which we’re doing and we’re looking forward to the trip. I scored a nice one there last year, I enjoy playing there, but it’s a team sport and as a team this is a trip we are all looking forward to,” Hoole said.

Opta Stat-Attack

The Central Coast Mariners have won 3 of their last five games against Perth Glory, keeping a clean sheet in each of those victories

Perth are undefeated in their last seven home games against the Mariners

Perth Glory are undefeated in their first four rounds this season. The last time they went longer without defeat to start the season was a five game run in 2010-11

Perth Glory have scored four goals within the opening 30 minutes of games this season, more than any other team in the competition

Perth Glory have made 40 shots from within the box this season, more than any other team in the competition

Jack Clisby has made the most intercepts this season (16) whilst Kye Rowles sits third in this category (14)

Andy Keogh has scored in every game this season, the only player to do so.